International Fleet Review to Welcome Navies of the World

Marinelink.com

Monday, August 19, 2013

The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is calling on Sydney’s diverse cultural communities to welcome the thousands of international sailors expected in Sydney in early October for the International Fleet Review.

The International Fleet Review will be held in Sydney from 3 to 11 October 2013 to commemorate the centenary of the first entry of the new Royal Australian Navy's Fleet into Sydney Harbour on 4 October 1913.

It is expected that over 40 warships and 17 tall ships, representing 20 nations, will be berthed alongside Garden Island, Barangaroo, Darling Harbour and HMAS Waterhen near Waverton for the nine day event. It will be the largest contingent of international ships in the harbour since the 1988 bicentennial celebrations.

Director of the International Fleet Review, Captain Nick Bramwell, joined NSW Minister for Citizenship and Communities, and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs the Hon Victor Dominello MP in Sydney today to brief consuls-general and ethnic media on Navy’s signature commemoration of 1913.

“The RAN is working in partnership with the NSW government and the City of Sydney to bring the navies of the world to Sydney in what promises to be a spectacular and culturally inclusive event,” Captain Bramwell said.

The week of commemorative activities will feature a range of public events including ship open days, a Combined Navies Parade, free musical concerts and an innovative pyrotechnics and lightshow display. The 2013 International Fleet Review will offer many opportunities for social interaction between the ships’ crews in multicultural Sydney that will set the event apart from previous RAN commemorations.

“The International Fleet Review is not just about ships; it is also about the international community of sailors and the links that bind all people who live and work by the sea,” Captain Bramwell said.

“When our visitors come to Sydney they will find a much more diverse and exciting city than that which greeted the ships in 1913 or even in 1988. As soon as they step ashore our maritime guests are likely to hear familiar sounds and taste familiar foods from their homeland.

“They will also discover that the RAN’s new generation of sailors also represents a wide range of backgrounds, faiths, languages and cultural heritages,” he said.

Captain Bramwell told guests that details of the full schedule of International Fleet Review events will be revealed at a major launch in Sydney in mid September.